


Second Chances

by TryingAndDoing



Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/F, Implied Sexual Content, coarse language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-03 19:58:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13348437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TryingAndDoing/pseuds/TryingAndDoing
Summary: Life wasn't the same as before everyone was getting sick, dying, and being reborn, awoken as a creature of death. Although those days weren't long ago, they didn't get second chances anymore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The scene in season two where Alicia is comforting Ofelia is what gave me inspiration.

"You have me.. For what it's worth." Alicia hadn't taken her stare away from Ofelia since she began speaking. Ofelia wasn't broken, not yet, but she was slipping away, falling to the darker places of her mind. Her mind and soul were hurting from the deaths of friends, her mother, her father. Seeing the man dangling from the shower head, the lack of hope.. What was the point anymore? Sure, this wasn't the first time in her life that Ofelia had thought about suicide, but after all she had lost within recent weeks, the thought crept it's way in. Life wasn't going to be the same, it never would.   
"Ofelia," Alicia broke the silence again, noticing Ofelia had yet to look up from wherever her eyes were fixated. "Don't do this to me. Don't shut me out the way I did to everyone when Matt died. We're all that we have left. Me, you, Stand, my mother. We're not alone in this, no matter what is happening or happens. I need you, not like they do. Alright?" Alicia's voice had been on the verge of breaking, cracking from the weight of what she had said. Ofelia didn't dare look up from the ground, knowing she wouldn't be able to hold back the tears that already had been waiting to fall.  
"Okay." Ofelia managed to force out past the lump in her throat. Judging by the sniffling, Alicia was crying. The pain in her chest tightened at the thought of hurting another person. Closing her eyes tightly, Ofelia dropped her head lower to fight off the blatant ache of guilt in her chest. 

Hands slow and cautiously entered the hair behind her ears, clasping around the back of her neck. Ofelia felt Alicia's presence directly in front of her and before she could look up at the other girl she was pressing a kiss on the top of her head. Alicia was crying, but bravely trying her damnedest to stay strong. If everyone were to crumble, break, and crack under the pressure, none of them would make it. Unintentionally, Ofelia began crying as well. Rising to her feet, her arms wrapped around the shorter woman's waist, holding her tightly into a hug.

Five, ten minutes easily passed before either moved. Alicia had managed to stop crying, only taking a hand off of Ofelia's neck to wipe her cheeks dry. 

She couldn't do it. Not yet. If not now, perhaps not ever. 

"Thank you, Alicia." Resting her lips against Alicia's forehead, Ofelia sucked in a deep, shaky breath.  
"You should take a shower, it'll help."  
"Okay." The hurting was still predominant in Ofelia's voice, but at least she was stable enough to hold herself up. Unwilling to move, they stayed embraced in each others arms much longer than the rest of their group would have approved of. The four had all gone through losses though, certainly they would've understood each others pain?   
"I found some clean clothing.. Not sure if it will fit, but it'll look good regardless." Alicia halfheartedly tried changing the subject, hopefully to give her emotions a break. Ofelia chuckled bashfully, face cracking the faintest smile since the fire.   
"Like when I borrowed your shirt?"  
"Precisely." The smirk on her lips was undeniably obvious, as was the fact Alicia kept looking down to her lips. Hesitating, Ofelia almost kissed her but stopped herself. This wasn't the first time she'd had the urge, the opportunity, but couldn't bring herself to move foreword. Even at the end of the world, with a beautiful girl (who seemed like she definitely wanted this) she still had the ability to be overcome by nerves. Alicia on the other hand wasn't about to take advantage of a blatantly distraught and vulnerable Ofelia, even though they'd had plenty of encounters like this before. This wasn't the right way, but she'd only wanted to take Ofelia's mind off of giving up on life- if she had read the signs correctly. She also wasn't about to lead Ofelia on.  
"Would you bring them to the bathroom?"  
"Yeah. Of course." Leaving Ofelia with a squeeze, Alicia released her and looked for where she'd set the backpack down. Walking to the bathroom door, Alicia knocked before opening the door, setting the clothing on the counter.   
"I'll be right outside." She snuck a glance off of the reflection of the mirror at Ofelia, the look of utter emptiness plastered on her face. Pain set into Alicia's chest because she knew there was nothing she could do except support her. Ofelia would have to push through this, concurring her own demons. 

Steam filled the glass and tile walls, surrounding Ofelia's naked body. She felt hollow; standing under the droplets of water. Hand pressed to the wall for stability, she felt herself crying again. She was alone, haunted by the memories of her parents. Every worst thought that could have possibly flashed through her mind did. Tears became choking sobs, swallowing her. She couldn't breathe through the pain of accepting she was alone, the soul survivor of her family, because she wasn't surviving. Alive, yes, but surviving, no. She genuinely didn't see any point in living, and her mind wanted to cement that thought no matter what. Her demons began to torment her to no end, telling her that it would only be a moment then she would be out of this misery and reunited with the ones she loved. 

So consumed in her agony, Ofelia hadn't heard Alicia call out to her, or open the door. The sight Alicia saw was more heart wrenching than earlier, when Ofelia half admitted she wanted to die. Shutting off the water, she grabbed the nearest towel and draped it over Ofelia's body and cradled her to the ground.

That wasn't the outcome Alicia had hoped for when she suggested a shower, she wanted it to be therapeutic rather than traumatic. Regret was already sinking its way to her, knowing damn well she shouldn't have left Ofelia alone. At least she wasn't physically harmed by herself, but that was the least of her problems.

"I've got you. I'm here." Alicia kept repeating, praying Ofelia heard her. 

Heaving air in and out of her lungs, it took a great while before Ofelia became aware of what Alicia was doing for her. Unable to cry anymore, Ofelia laid with her head on Alicia's lap.

"I know you won't want to, but I'm here if you need to talk. Get it off your chest, no matter what it is. I won't let you go through this alone, Ofelia. What's killing you is killing me; we're family."

Eyes burning and dry, each blink hurting more than the last. Assisted by Alicia, she was dressed and helped into the nearest bed. Held protectively underneath the blankets, Ofelia lay blinking against Alicia's chest. The younger woman's hands didn't stop the gentle motions and patterns she had been drawing against her back and arms. 

"I'm scared." Ofelia barely managed the words past her lips. Trembling into Alicia, she closed her eyes.   
"I'm right here." Reassuringly, Alicia kissed her forehead until Ofelia was settling down. Shaking breaths turned deeper and deeper, until a sense of calmness washed over her body. "I won't let you go." Laying awake, Ofelia's shaken hand wove it's fingers through Alicia's, feeling herself grounded to another person. What would happen when Alicia didn't want to be there for her anymore? 

Although her eyes burnt and stung, Ofelia couldn't sleep, she could barely manage the strength to move. Alicia had fallen asleep not too long before Ofelia sat up, the girl was over exerting herself, putting one hundred and ten percent in everything. No matter what she did, Madison didn't seem to approve, even if she was working her ass off for the four of them. Pulling away cautiously, Ofelia managed to not wake her from her slumber. Best let Alicia rest while she could, since sleep had been sparse as of late. 

How long had they been gone, scavenging the rooms for anything salvageable? Where were Madison and Strand? Pushing the hair from her face, Ofelia made her way towards the bathroom to wash her face off, thinking she looked like shit since she felt that way. Refusing to look in the mirror, she felt like all courage she had would betray her if she saw her reflection. The room was visibly darker than she remembered, and the last thing they needed was a paranoid Madison on their back.

"I'll be back." Even though Alicia didn't hear her, she still spoke. Grabbing the butterfly knife from Alicia's back pocket, she left the hotel room. Before heading down the hallway she took the sign off of the door handle an leaned it against the base of the door. Moving quickly and quietly, she snuck through the hallways and stairs, heading to the main bar where the group had split earlier. Vaguely knowing the way, Ofelia was dreading what Madison would say, since she hadn't attempted to stop Alicia earlier from leaving them. Each step she told herself it was for Alicia's benefit, that this needed to be done. Her demons subsided, because she as refusing to think of anything but Alicia. 

Stumbling through the doors, she found the others almost exactly how they'd left them earlier in the day. The only difference was that they were drunk. Completely drunk. Practically dragging them (and a few bottles of tequila) back to the room. Madison wasn't nearly as worried as she should've been, when Alicia wasn't with Ofelia. Could the woman give a damn about her child for once in her life? Strand thought something was wrong with Ofelia, but she brushed him off, not able to unload her trauma and drama onto him. 

Turning onto her back, Alicia stretched her legs out to feel the beds emptiness and panic set in rapidly. Immediately she sat up, heart pounding as she looked around blindly.  
"Ofelia!" Shouting she looked at both ends of the room, confused to see Strand on the other bed. "What the fuck?" 

Dumbstruck, Ofelia was sitting on the opposite side of the bed, mouth ajar, unable to speak. Strand on the other hand, groaned and shot Alicia a death glare.   
"Quiet, girl, at least until my head stops hurting." 

"Alicia.." Moving closer, she lowered her voice to avoid Strand's wrath. Seeing the unsettled look of confusion, she reached towards Alicia's face and held her cheek. "What's wrong?"  
"I just.. Disorientated."  
"Because I left? Or a nightmare?"  
Sighing audibly, Alicia nodded and closed her eyes. "You fell asleep after a while- since you haven't been sleeping well lately I thought it best to let you rest. The sun was setting soon, I didn't want Madison flipping her shit all over again. I mean, she was already in a pissy mood at you."  
"Was she mad?"  
"Drunk." 

Swallowing thickly, Ofelia dropped her hands to her lap and stared down at them. "Earlier, with my.. Anxiety attack..." Ofelia was barely speaking, not wanting to say the words herself. They needed to be said, but not overheard by Strand. Hopefully he was drunk enough to be asleep or not remember a word.   
"Don't worry, I'll-"  
"Thank you, is all I needed to say."  
"I'll always be there for you." Staring eye to eye, Ofelia nodded. About to say something else, she stopped at the sound of the bathroom door opening and Madison's feet tripping over each other. 

"The water is still hot, surprisingly. You should wake Alicia and tell her to bathe." Clearly she hadn't looked around the room, but it was nearly all black except for the light from a flashlight. Holding her tongue, Alicia didn't bother responding. They watched simultaneously as Madison walked to Strand's bed to lay down in the only open area. Ofelia silently thanked herself for taking up the bed besides Alicia, because she didn't care too much for how the others treated them and sleeping besides them would have been greatly uncomfortable.

"I was right, earlier." Alicia whispered, drawing Ofelia's attention to her (as if she ever didn't have it though).   
"About?"  
"You looking good in the clothing." Ofelia rolled her eyes, but her cheeks grew warmer.  
"Bullshit, you can't see anything in this lighting."  
"The flashlight is good enough. See?" With ease, Alicia had found Ofelia and wrapped her arms around her stomach, head against her shoulder. Much to her surprise, Ofelia didn't think the lighting was that well, perhaps Alicia was conning her.   
"Point proven." Ofelia kissed her forehead.  
"They might look better on the floor, however." Trying her best not to laugh too loudly, Ofelia shook her head in disbelief.  
"I think you'd be better off taking a cold shower." Shifting around on the bed, Alicia had clambered to her knees, a leg astride Ofelia's legs. Lips pressed to her cheek, Alicia protectively placed a hand across her other cheek to hold her there.   
"I'll be back shortly." 

Warmth sank into Ofelia's chest in a way that hadn't recently. The closer together they were, the deeper the feeling descended. Knowing exactly what it was sent shivers down her spine. Seizing her hips, Ofelia boldly didn't let Alicia leave. Blood was pounding through every vein, especially making it harder to breathe. Feeling every twitch in Alicia's muscles against her cheek, she knew she was smiling without having to look at her face. Lips ghosting slowly across her cheek, barely making brief contact as Alicia hovered in front of her. Ofelia leaned forward and initiated the kiss, albeit chaste and timid. 

Relishing in the fact she finally conquered her fear of rejection, every chain that seemed to tether her back and away from Alicia was slipping free. Alicia hadn't backed down from the kiss in the slightest, rather she shifted closer and grasped her cheek more firm than before. Letting her intentions be very quite clear, Alicia kissed her as passionately as if there were no tomorrow, frankly because there wasn't. 

Strand startled them apart by suddenly snoring, something he hadn't done once in his entire time together with the group. Alicia ducked her head away, feeling heat all across her face. He hadn't broken up anything too serious, but they didn't need their first kiss together interrupted.   
"Go ahead and shower." Ofelia shrugged Alicia away, only because she needed to clean herself. The girl was still covered in blood, sweat, and god knows what else they had encountered throughout the last few days.   
"Fucking tease." Alicia huffed under her breath jokingly as she backed away. Smiling to herself, Ofelia settled back into the bed as waited for Alicia to return. 

As she waited, fear and anxiety creeped it's way back into Ofelia's mind. Laying in the dark, she felt she was subjected to her demons which invited themselves. She was alone, surrounded by her pain. Struggling to keep herself safe, Ofelia turned into the bed and began crying silently, so not to wake the others. In her mind, if she had woken them they would have told her how weak and worthless she was, casting her away into exile from the group. All she wanted was to be surrounded by the people she knew, to be safe. More tears fell, and she quietly began hating herself more. 

Alicia wasn't gone nearly as quickly has she had hoped for, but showering in the dark was far different than she had experienced in the light. The light from the flashlight didn't illuminate much, but she had angled it on the counter to reflect off of the mirror. Jeans and a bra long forgotten, she figuring she wouldn't need much to sleep in. 

When she found Ofelia in bed, she was laying still, facing the door. Positioned behind her, Alicia noticed her tense immediately as she was slipping her arms around her, moving closer until Ofelia was pressed against her chest.  
"Sorry," Alicia paused, finally settled into the bed, "I couldn't see shit." Ofelia gave a breathy chuckled, sniffling quietly.   
"At least you don't smell like shit anymore." Arm settling just beside Ofelia's, she waited to see if she would relax. Hoping that she didn't move too quickly, Alicia was internally cringing at herself. Ofelia continued to breathe in sharply, rigid with herself. 

"Hey," Alicia whispered, attempting to turn her around. Much to her appreciation, Ofelia faced her. "What's hurting you?" Taken back, Ofelia was surprised she could tell so quickly, then again she wasn't the best at hiding emotions. "Please, Ofelia.."   
"We won't make it." Voice cracked and disturbed, Ofelia   
"All of us will, together. I know you feel this, hope, somewhere inside."  
"Pain is all I've felt."  
"Bullshit. I've seen it on your face, I've felt it with you. Ofelia, I want to help you."  
"Why? There's no point."  
"Because it's hurting you." Alicia sighed, taking her hand and holding it close. "If you saw Daniel hurting, wouldn't you try and comfort him?"  
"I couldn't help him. I tried." Ofelia began crying.   
"What if it was Travis, or my mother? Me?"  
"I can't lose you. Any of-"  
"And we can't lose you." Unintentionally cutting her off, Alicia bumped her forehead into Ofelia's more roughly than intended, keeping her right there. "Especially me. You know that." The corner of Ofelia's lip inadvertently twitched to a smile of empathy.   
"You smell really, really nice." Ofelia blatantly changed the subject in attempts to change her spirits. Pressing her lips against Ofelia's, she could feel the dampness from her tears, and taste hints of salt. A pang shot through her heart whenever she was aware of Ofelia crying, because she wanted to be there for her, especially in times of need.


	2. Chapter 2

Legs and arms tied, Alicia had awoken to the room lightening from the sunrise. Ofelia was well tangled across her body, in the sheets, sleeping peacefully. Her head had come to rest on Alicia's chest, hair all across her face. Glancing to the window, Alicia couldn't quite see the sun itself rising in the morning sky, but she could see the colours of the sky changing from darkness to light. Only when she could see clearly through the room did she stretch ever so slightly under Ofelia. Her fingers deftly brushed the hair away from across Ofelia's face, stroking and scratching at her head gently so not to disturb her from her sleep. Unable to help herself, Alicia wanted to see the face that she found most beautiful. Ofelia looked well exhausted, her eyes still heavy from crying. 

Strand unceremoniously rose and bolted towards the bathroom, clanking the toilet lid. Alicia attempted to tune out the sound of his sickness, focusing more dedication to Ofelia's face. Much to her liking, when she was lost looking at her, everything else in the world seemed to fade away. The fact her brother was missing, that everyone they knew was gone- irrelevant. Instead someone she was attached to occupied every thought of her mind, and for once the lack of worry and trouble was peaceful.

Shifting and twitching, Ofelia's fingers spread themselves apart as she was stirring from her slumber. Her hand moved down, then retraced itself upwards, feeling the warm skin against her palm. Blinking once, then twice, Ofelia settled back into Alicia's chest with her eyes closed, not quite ready for the day. 

"Strand wake you? He's been throwing up for a while."   
"Couldn't bring myself to sleep any longer." Lips pressed to Ofelia's forehead endearingly.  
"I slept pretty well."  
"That's good."  
"Someone kept scratching my sides, though. I'm surprised you're as hands on as you are." Alicia teased, watching as Ofelia became flushed and flustered. She was about to retract her hand from Alicia's side when Alicia stopped her.   
"No. I like your hand there."  
"What if your mom catches us?"  
Alicia's eyebrows jumped up and down teasingly as her eyes narrowed towards her lips. "We'll have to use our time wisely until then." Lifting her head off of Alicia's chest, she listened to impulse and began kissing her. Unlike the times before, she didn't hold much back. No weight or trouble seemed to be holding her down since waking, instead she was almost zoned out from reality. 

Trembling under her, Alicia had never quite felt weak or nervous. The new feeling seemed to take control of her as her breathing increased. She needed more of it, finally realizing what Nick felt like, but not in a toxic way. She was far away from damaging herself by getting involved romantically with Ofelia. For now she hadn't thought about what would happen if Ofelia were to be lost to death, instead she opted to live in the moment. 

Ofelia hadn't been that bold in years, claiming another person as openly as she was, with all of the unnecessary risk involved. Madison would more than likely destroy her for doing such an act to her daughter even though her hands on kiss wasn't too invasive. Gasping for air, Alicia felt her heart hammering intense motions inside her chest. Sharp breaths filled her lungs as she fought away the pain in her body, seeking and craving more. Ofelia was gladly continuing the kiss, 

The fight for air was lost, as Alicia forced herself to back away, for the sake of not wanting to pass out. Ofelia was also breathing quite heavily against her neck, leaving quick pecks between inhales.  
"Jesus, I'm hungry." Voice noticeably different, Ofelia wanted nothing more than to stay in bed like this- with no interruptions. However they both knew the rest of their group would be waking shortly. They only wanted privacy, specifically from Alicia's parent.  
"How hungry?"  
"Very." Ofelia chuckled as she attempted to untangle her legs from the other woman.  
"On a scale of one to ten?" Alicia asked in a serious voice, her face not giving an hints of joking or sarcasm.  
"Are you kidding me?"  
"Nope." Alicia responded firmly. "I don't feel like getting up because I'm comfortable. But if you're desperate for food I'll bring you some."  
"Is an eight desperate?" Ofelia bit her lip, hoping it wasn't, no matter how hungry she was. Sighing, Alicia kissed her lightly before making her way out of bed. Eyes following her meagre form. Although seeing Alicia in scant clothing various times, Ofelia couldn't seem to help herself when it can to admiring her body. Wrapped up in the eyeful of Alicia bent over their food supply, she didn't hear Strand exit the bathroom. 

"Jesus Christ, girl, where are your god damn pants?"  
"The bathroom." Alicia deadpanned, ignoring his comment as she pulled various food particles from the bag.  
"Was the water still hot?" Ofelia shifted upright from under the bedding, eyes briefing glancing to Strand, but quickly falling back to Alicia. She noticed just how many buttons had been forgotten across Alicia's chest last night as it gapped further open.  
"Yes. You'd better beat Madison in there, her hangover will be shit if she doesn't take one. That's a hell worse than what's out there."  
"Want some?" Alicia halfheartedly gestured with the food towards Strand as she returned to the bed. He shook his head and sat on the adjoined bed.  
"Should we wake her?"  
"No. If she was drunk, definitely not. You sounded like shit this morning."  
"Felt like shit too." He shrugged. "If only we could spend the day in bed."  
"I second that." Alicia murmured, her hand idly rubbing against the outside of Ofelia's thigh. 

They ate quietly, sneaking and sharing smiles and glances at the other, all while under the impression they were being subtle. Strand didn't care too much, because he was occupied by finding something to wear in the clothing Alicia scored earlier. 

"We should discuss a plan for tonight, what we're even doing here." Ofelia spoke through the silence, ignoring the fact Madison had yet to wake. The sun was burning away the hours of daylight, and she didn't think waiting much longer would do them any good. 

"Right. Madison," Strand gave the slumbering woman a cautious shake which had her waking instantly. "Drink." He handed her a bottle of water incase her headache was as bad as his.   
"Oh god. Thank you. I wasn't expecting a fucking hangover to be this bad."  
"It was genuine tequila from Mexico. Best source in the world for that shit." Madison was drinking the water, surveying the rest of the group.   
"Did you all sleep well?" More or less everyone nodded. Alicia retrieved some food for her mother, meriting a confused glare.   
"Am I confused, or is half of your damn clothing missing from your body?"  
"What? It's not like I have a problem with anyone in this room seeing me this way. Strand's gay, you're my mother, and Ofelia," Alicia paused for the briefest of moments to look directly at her mother, "I like Ofelia, so there's no damage done. It's not as if I'm naked." Nonchalantly Alicia shrugged in disinterest to the conversation, and entered into the bathroom for her jeans. She dressed quickly, grumbling once to herself, before returning to Ofelia's bed. Cheeks dark red, Ofelia leaned into Alicia's hair and whispered so only she would hear. "I wouldn't mind that."

"We need a plan, and a majority decision seems best fit." Strand cleared his throat to regain Ofelia's attention. She was too busy being distracted by Alicia's presence behind her, being held rather intimately in the public eye of the group. "What're your suggestions?"  
"We need supplies. What we found yesterday wasn't much, mostly snacks and alcohol." Ofelia answered.  
"Are we going to stay here?" Alicia asked, aiming the question more towards her mother. She didn't have a problem with Strand leading the group, even though he often made questionable decisions, but Madison was family, and he wasn't.   
"Why wouldn't we?" Madison attempted to not sound pissed at the question, because she wasn't.   
"It's an obvious target from afar." Strand injected. "For now lets collect weapons, water, food. Anything we can find that's useful, and bring it to one section. We should stay for a few days, if there's enough worth taking, if not we should go somewhere remote and off the beaten path."  
"The supplies here might not even be worth the risk. We already know each room is going to have snacks and water in the food bars, but there's not much nutrition in half that crap." Responded Alicia.   
"What if our best bet is to clear the alcohol from the bar, and take up residency nearby like Strand suggested? If another group comes around we just might be able to barter it for something of more value." Ofelia commented while she prepared to ransack the nearby rooms. "We should spend a few days here at the most before finding somewhere safer."

"It's settled then. Today we'll gather what we can and meet back here before the sun is down. Stick by each other and call out if you're in danger. We shouldn't get too far apart, until we've got the hang of this. Alicia, I want you with me." Once again Madison was dictating their itinerary for the day as if she was the leader, even though they all agreed to on a majority vote. Her plans were fine, up until she wanted her daughter to do the looting with her.  
"No mom, Ofelia and I work better and faster than you and I. She has my back." Rightfully receiving a glare, Alicia wasn't backing down from wanting to be with Ofelia. Who could blame her though, Madison often treated Alicia as if she were incompetent and unable to defend herself, that Alicia wasn't intuitive in dire situations. Decisions had to be made, and Alicia knew she was able to handle them. This was a battle Alicia was willing to fight for. Observing the oncoming storm between the two headstrong women, Stand interjected.   
"Good idea, Alicia. You two should take the hotel rooms while Madison and I work on clearing the bar and the kitchen." Somehow his idea hadn't upset Madison, but she often settled and took his side as if Strand did no wrong. Maybe it was because she respected him on his age or being a male, or even Alicia wasn't being viewed as an adult in her mothers eyes, regardless there was a clear favorite.

As they left in pairs of two, Alicia kept the butterfly knife at the ready. Anger towards her mother was replace with fear of the undead. The halls may have been cleared, but the rooms had the potential to have someone sneaking up on them. Yesterday they were taken by surprise when finding a body hanging in the bathroom, what was to stop them from finding something else just as disturbing? Without being obvious, she was keeping an eye on Ofelia. She hadn't spoken too much, only replying when Alicia asked a question. It wasn't until the forth room they cleared that Alicia decided she needed to say something about it. 

"Ofelia? Can we take a minute?" Looking up from her pointless daze of scarce supplies they'd rummaged into a pile, Ofelia swallowed thickly and gave Alicia her attention. "It's written all across your face that something is wrong.. I won't force you into talking about what you're feeling, but I wish I could help you. If being here is enough for you then let me know, please. There's nothing that will make me leave you, Ofelia, I will always be standing here, offering you my hand to get though this storm. I won't go anywhere." 

Nodding, Ofelia was acknowledging her. Breathing in, she prepared herself for the ever coming emotions that would pass through her lips. "Daniel was my rock, my papa. Even though we didn't get along, I never imagined he'd just be.. Just be gone. I should've seen the signs, before he attacked those men. When he attacked Andy; but I didn't. What If we could have helped him? Who knows where Celia had him taken, what she had done to him." Looking up, Ofelia tried her damnedest to shrug off just how distraught she was at the loss of her remaining family. Smiling sympathetically, Ofelia began wiping away her tears. "I miss him, is all."

Although her spirits had been increased a tremendous amount, Ofelia still felt fear and anger creeping it's way back into her mind. This won't last, she thought. Alicia is using you. She'll leave soon enough. You're worthless and Alicia knows this, but won't say it aloud. She's thinking that very thought right now. Hearing herself betray everything she wanted was slowly suffocating her. Ofelia's hands and lips began shaking as she felt it thoroughly washing over her. Alicia noticed immediately something wasn't right, and rushed to remedy the situation.  
"I'm so afraid without him."

Prioritizing Ofelia over scavenging was a decision made in a heartbeat, one Alicia didn't even have to make. She dropped what she had been going through and moved across the bedroom as quickly as needed, taking Ofelia in her arms. Alicia knew holding her wasn't nearly enough comfort to express how sorry and concerned she was, but it was a start. A start that Ofelia needed. Someone was there for her, especially when she needed and although her mind was telling her otherwise, having a living, breathing person there was enough proof for now. Collapsing into the embrace, Ofelia felt comfort in ways that she needed. Since the outbreak, Ofelia had grown to know the Clark family, and closest with Alicia. Not once had she lied, or tried to take advantage of her. Instead Alicia always had her best interests in mind, and was always sticking up for her, protecting her. With the battle inside of her mind raging strong, she knew with Alicia there fighting for her that she would overcome the clouds of darkness.   
"You have me and I won't let anything happen to you." Once again they were standing in each others arms, but as the tears on Ofelia's cheeks dried out she began laughing softly. Somehow it felt as though they hadn't laughed in many days, the sound was almost foreign. Within the chaos she found resolve inside of herself through Alicia. Laughter was a calming feat along with Alicia's arms, it was an almost hopeful feeling. Hopeful that the days to come would get better, and as long as she felt hope (in any sense) she could continue. 

"We should get back to work." Suggested Ofelia.

And they did work at clearing through eight more rooms. They fought off a few walkers that were trapped in their rooms, but aside from that they had a relatively easy chore. They stopped to eat some of the food they found- which was mostly nuts and chips, holding back on the alcohol because they still had more bedrooms to clear on that hotel floor. 

When they were within close proximity to one another Alicia would make a habit of touching against Ofelia in one way or another. Just a brush of their hands, arms accidentally bumping, even their legs. Sooner than later Ofelia caught on, and would purposely align herself near Alicia, or be calling her over.

When they finished clearing the last of the eight, Alicia was sitting on the bed taking a break. Searching each room for food and other necessities was going to be pointless if they didn't know which rooms had been occupied before the hotel collapsed. She was joined by Ofelia on the bed, instinctively Alicia wrapped an arm behind her back around her waist to hold her.  
"Should we find my mom and Strand?"  
"If you want to, yeah." Although encouraging her, Ofelia made no effort to act on leaving. Instead her hand came to rest affectionately on Alicia's knee.  
"I guarantee you she'll be disappointed with what we found."  
"Probably." Ofelia half chuckled. There had been no pleasing Madison through any action. Only Nick was on her good side, even after he abandoned them at the farm.  
"It'll be amusing if she tries to double check out work and goes through all of the rooms after us."  
"More time spent out of our hair the better. You can't help that you were born without a dick- you shouldn't need one for your mothers respect." Alicia pressed a gratuitous kiss to her cheek, as she pulled away there was no stopping her fond smile. Ever so slightly Ofelia had been turning to face Alicia, keeping the proximity to her face closer than it needed to be. How close she wanted to be was a whole different story. Lips barely wafting against each other, Alicia's smile faded from a smile to a smirk.  
"I love you." Chasing after her, Ofelia was met with disappointment when she had pulled even further away, still Ofelia fought to kiss her. "Fucking tease." Giving in, Alicia let her cross any bridge, any line, any barrier between them.

Later that night as they lay in bed, listening to the sounds made by Madison and Strand in their sleep, Ofelia kept Alicia clutched tightly in her arms. Unwilling to let go, incase her partner would leave her. Even after hearing and seeing ever promise Alicia made with her, there was still a shroud of doubt that they wouldn't make it. Holding on securely, Alicia reassured her that they were safe. That together they could conquer any obstacles that would come their way. Together they were family, and that Ofelia was loved. If it were true then there was no point in denying the fact Alicia had fallen in love in such a short amount of time, delaying the truth from Ofelia. They'd seen friends, strangers, even neighbors die. Life wasn't the same as before everyone was getting sick, dying, and being reborn, awoken as a creature of death. Although those days weren't long ago, they didn't get second chances anymore.


End file.
